THE MORALITY OF HAPPINESS. 189 



" If a father, sternly enforcing numerous commands, some needful 

 and some needless, adds to his severe control a behavior wholly un- 

 sympathetic if his children have to take their pleasures by stealth, 

 or, when timidly looking up from their play, ever meet a cold glance, 

 or more frequently a frown, his government will inevitably be disliked, 

 if not hated ; and the aim will be to evade it as much as possible. 

 Contrariwise, a father who, equally firm in maintaining restraints 

 needful for the well-being of his children, or the well-being of other 

 persons, not only avoids needless restraints, but, giving his sanction to 

 all legitimate gratifications, and providing the means for them, looks 

 on at their gambols with an approving smile, can scarcely fail to gain 

 an influence which, no less efficient for the time being, will also be per- 

 manently efficient. The controls of such two fathers symbolize the 

 controls of moralityas it is and morality as it should be." 



II. CONDUCT AND DUTY.* 



Morality relates to those parts of our conduct of which it can be 

 said that they are right or wrong. Under the general subject conduct, 

 then, morality is included as a part. On regarding the word " duty " 

 as implying all that we ought to do and all that we ought to avoid, 

 we may say that duty is a part of conduct. All actions which are not 

 purposeless may be regarded as included under the word " conduct," 

 as well as some which, though purposeless at the time, result from 

 actions originally done with purpose until a fixed habit had been ac- 

 quired. But only those actions which we consider good or bad are 

 referred to when we speak of duty ; and the principles of what we call 

 morality relate only to these. 



Here, however, we have already recognized a connection between 

 duty and conduct generally, which should show all who are familiar 

 with scientific methods that morality can not properly be discussed 

 in its scientific aspect without discussing conduct at large. Every 

 student of science knows that, rightly to consider a part, he must 

 consider the whole to which it belongs. In every department of sci- 

 ence this general law holds, though it is not always recognized. No 

 scientific subject has ever been properly dealt with until it has been 



* I remind the reader that in these papers, as stated in the introductory one, I am 

 following the lines along which Mr. Herbert Spencer has already traced the general doc- 

 trine of the morality of happiness. Where his reasoning seems open to objection or too 

 recondite to be quite readily followed, I shall indicate such objections, and my own opin- 

 ion respecting them, or endeavor to remove such difficulties ; but the moral doctrine I 

 am here dealing with is that of which he has been the chief teacher, if he may not be re- 

 garded as its only founder. Even if the scientific study of ethics, on principles analogous 

 to those which have made astronomy, geology, and more recently biology, true sciences, 

 has been taken up by others and pursued till new truths have been recognized and per- 

 haps some errors pointed out in his treatment of it, it remains still true that he was the 

 first to indicate the true scientific method, and to show where hitherto it had been de- 

 parted from even by the founders of the school of philosophy to which he belongs. 



